The CW Renews Seven Current Series for 2017-18 Season

SEVEN of The CW's fan favorite series are now guaranteed to live on for another season. Network President Mark Pedowitz made the official pickup announcement Sunday at the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena.

Current lineup series making the early cut are Arrow (Season 6), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season 3), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (Season 3), The Flash (Season 4), Jane the Virgin (Season 4), Supergirl (Season 3), and Supernatural (Season 13). The network followed their recent trend of early, bulk renewals of their shows. Said Pedowitz:

Over the past several seasons, The CW has built a schedule of proven performers, from our lineup of DC superheroes, to critically acclaimed comedies, to sci-fi dramas. Early pickups of these seven series now allow our producers to plan ahead for next season, and gives us a solid base to build on for next season, with original scripted series to roll out all year long.

Missing from the list of pickups are The Vampire Diaries, which is currently airing its final episodes and will complete its eight season run in March, as well as first season rookies No Tomorrow and Frequency. The network chief noted that neither series has officially been canceled just yet, as The CW's new Netflix deal (each show will debut eight days after their on air season-enders) and current digital trends will factor in to final decisions. Should they choose not to move forward, both series will get some form of closure with digital "tag" videos wrapping things up for fans. Moral of the story: if you like them, binge away!

The inclusion of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in the announcement is a surprise to some, as the series suffers from low ratings nationally, but Pedowitz explained the rationale:

[The show's pickup] has nothing to do with numbers. Critically acclaimed, great programming, sometimes you just leave it on the air, and hope that it finds an audience. In the "peak TV" era, having critically acclaimed shows like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin give you a calling card.

The network is proud of its offerings and widening audience base, crediting all seven renewed series as "having helped alter the perception of the CW has become." More decisions lie ahead for other veteran series returning this winter and spring. Performance will be key for The 100, The Originals, and iZombie, as Reign has already announced it is entering its fourth and final season starting Friday, February 10th.

Final decisions on the fate of the rest of the primetime lineup will occur this May or earlier when the new seasons are announced.